The OFC U-16 Women’s Championship scheduled to take place in Tahiti in December 2019 has been postponed till next year by the OFC Executive Committee due to the measles epidemic in the region.
Despite the hold off, Vanuatu national U16 team is intact and will continue to train until the next date of the competition is announced.
In a ceremony yesterday at the Academy facility in Teouma, the Vanuatu football technical director Peter Takaro farewell the U16 girls who were camping at the facility for the competition and conveyed VFF’s gratitude to the parents for supporting the girls this far.
“The competition has been postponed to 2020 and we will announced the new training date after the festive season”, he said.
Speaking to the VFF Media on the current Women’s U15 Youth League Championship, Takaro said the team list could change if OFC permits it and if we want to win and qualify for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India.
“The girls really want to play but unfortunately the decision was made to put health and safety first”, he explained to the players and parents.
OFC media in an article on their website said the Executive Members and OFC administration are putting health and safety first despite the considerable financial and logistical impacts associated with the postponement, the Executive Committee’s decision was made in the best interest of our Pacific population.
The article also states that OFC General Secretariat and Fédération Tahitienne de Football will secure a suitable date for hosting the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in 2020.
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